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Super Bowl XLVII report cards

Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports
12:28 a.m. EST February 4, 2013

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) returns a kick for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.(Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)

Quarterback: MVP Joe Flacco will become a very rich man after this gilded playoff run. His 11 TD passes without a pick match the greatest postseason performance ever, equalling some guy named Montana. And as he had throughout the playoffs, Flacco stood tall while firing seeds all over the field, none sprouting more fruit than his 56-yard scoring bomb to Jacoby Jones right before halftime. The best QB in the game? Maybe not. Elite? Forevermore. GRADE: A

Offense: Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce got some tough yards against the Niners' stout front seven even if chunks were hard to come by. However Rice's mysterious playoff fumbling issue resurfaced. But Flacco and Boldin repeatedly riddled a suspect secondary and seemed to go after nickelback Chris Culliver and the safeties. GRADE: B+

Defense: This group won't ever be confused with the airtight 2000 Ravens, especially not after allowing nearly 500 yards and ending the playoffs by allowing an average of 142 rushing yards. But Baltimore forced two turnovers. More importantly, the Ravens — with a little help from some quiet referees — stiffened (without injured Haloti Ngata) with the 49ers staked to a first-and-goal on the 7 in the closing minutes. GRADE: B

Special teams: Jones' 108-yard kickoff return tied a league record and ultimately provided a margin San Francisco couldn't overcome. Rookie Justin Tucker drilled four touchbacks and both field-goal tries. There were blemishes. Tucker couldn't get a first down off a field-goal sneak, squandering a Niners turnover, and punter Sam Koch's awful third-quarter punt set up a two-play 49ers TD drive. But Koch also killed 8 seconds at the end before taking a safety with 4 seconds left on the clock and blasted a booming free kick on the final play. GRADE B+

Coaching: John Harbaugh was bold. The fake field goal didn't work, but just about everything else (including the Koch safety) did. His team weathered the momentum-halting, 33-minute power outage and San Francisco's second-half surge. His decision to take Tucker's 19-yard fourth-quarter field goal rather than try to punch it from the 1-yard line proved to be the correct call. GRADE: A-

San Francisco 49ers

Quarterback: Like his first playoff start against the Green Bay Packers last month, Colin Kaepernick was shaky early — he threw the first interception in Niners Super Bowl history — but found his sea legs soon enough. Even with his team in a 22-point, third-quarter hole, the sophomore passer never panicked and fell just 5 yards short of notching the franchise's sixth Lombardi Trophy by game's end. With 364 combined passing/running yards and two TDs, it appears this quarterback of the future certainly has a bright one. GRADE B+

Offense: Kaepernick's turnover and LaMichael James' first-half fumble certainly hurt. San Francisco was only 2-for-9 on third downs. And with three cracks from the Ravens' 5-yard line on the final drive, San Francisco couldn't punch in the decisive touchdown as three passes fell incomplete. But the team's resilience was commendable, and the 468 total yards were 101 more than Baltimore's. GRADE B-

Defense: The Niners largely contained the Ravens on the ground (93 yards). But previous playoff form held as Flacco remained hot while San Francisco's secondary looked shot. Nickelback Chris Culliver capped an embarrassing week by getting beaten multiple times before being called for pass interference, extending a drive that ended with a crucial Baltimore field goal. GRADE D+

Special teams: After the worst season of his career, David Akers hit all three of his field-goal attempts, gutting out the final 34-yard one after being injured on a roughing penalty. But surrendering the kickoff return to Jones was a crippling blow. GRADE C-

Coaching: Jim Harbaugh couldn't grimace his way to victory this time. He was able to rally the troops during the third-quarter delay, though the Niners never did claim a lead. And they didn't seem prepared when Koch ran off 8 seconds before taking a safety on the Ravens' final play. And as well as the Niners ran the ball, why not try at least one more read-option on the failed final drive from the 5? GRADE C